


Letters From People Who Should Not Be There

by NorroenDyrd



Series: Should Never Have Existed [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Adorable Merrill, Alistair Has Issues, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drunk Alistair, Epistolary, F/M, Gen, Letters, Not Canon Compliant, Zevran Arainai in Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 04:06:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14370555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorroenDyrd/pseuds/NorroenDyrd
Summary: A collection of letters sent by people who, canonically, should not have joined the Inquisition - which is led by a man who, canonically, is the furthest thing from Inquisitor material. And yet, here they all are. Coming together to save the world.





	1. From Bethany to the Champion, Roy Hawke

Roy,  
  
I don't know if I will ever send this. You are supposed to be in hiding, after all. I would hate it if my letter turned into a clue for people who should not be allowed to find you. And being in Orlais has only made me more paranoid if anything. I keep seeing scheming, spying players of this game of theirs round every corner.  
  
Not that I am not grateful to you for reaching out to Madame Vivienne and asking her to take me under her wing! You are right: she is not that scary if you get to know her, and I always feel sheepish when I recollect how I little short of hid behind your and Aveline's backs when you introduced me to her! She seed to find it amusing, though.  
  
She remembers you fondly from Château Haine, by the way! Says it was very inspiring to see another Marcher come from nothing and use his wealth and influence to help people. Not that there's anything left of that now. But I am not bitter, Maker forbid - we have done this before. We have been brought low, so so many times, and risen again, carrying our friends up with us.  
  
And, um, now I have kind of arrived to the point of my letter. I hope you won't be angry with me, since you have been trying so hard to get me away from the fighting - but I have thought about it, and... And I will not be staying at Madame Vivienne's court much longer.  
  
An agent of the Inquisition was here the other day, you see; Madame Vivienne grew curious about their cause and invited this agent over for negotiations the moment her spies informed her that the Inquisition was coming to Val Royeaux.  
  
Yes, that is the same Inquisition that has been out to get you - and no, I swear, I am not betraying you to them. I never will!  
  
But I would very much like to join the fight they are fighting. Because they are trying to end this horrible war; to make mages and Templars work together against a bigger enemy - the demons that are pouring from the sky itself! And I want to be part of that, Roy. I want to help others, like you and me used to do. Loitering about in a pretty gilded palace is nice and all, but I feel like I can do so much more. And don't worry - Madame Vivienne will also be travelling to the Inquisition's headquarters in Haven. Personally!  
  
I don't think she was very impressed by the Inquisition messenger, to be frank; she suspects he is hiding something. He says he is from Ostwick, but speaks with the same accent as Fenris and... you know.  
  
But on the other hand, he uses some mystic magical gift to seal Rifts in the Veil - and when he spoke about restoring order in Thedas, he did seem to believe what he was saying. I am not certain what to make of this yet. But we will look into it - Madame Vivienne and me both.  
  
I have to run now; the carriage is waiting. I can't wait to start saving lives again! And I promise I will be careful.  
  
Love,  
Bethany


	2. From Alistair to Arl Teagan

To Arl Teagan:  
  
This is to... This is to let you know that I have not been abducted. By either the Inquisition or the rebel mages. In case you have been wondering. Because I know how you dislike them all. Now even more than ever, probably, after these weird Tevinter cultists invaded Redcliffe and tried to kick you out of the castle and enslave all and sundry. Wouldn't have happened if the rebels weren't here - but then it would have happened somewhere else, right?  
  
Or maybe... Maybe you haven't been wondering. I have been pretty useless to you, I know. And I am sorry for that. A living waste of space fresh from exile is no fun to be around. At least you barely had to deal with the drunk me. Drunk me is a real floor wipe, and I hope he never shows up again.  
  
Anyway. Back on track. Here's the thing: I don't think I will be coming back. I appreciate you taking me in, whipping me into shape, allowing your dogs to keep me company again - but I also appreciated fighting side by side with those Inquisition people. Maybe if I stick around them enough, I will stop bring a waste of space?  
  
Yours sincerely (faithfully?),  
Alistair


	3. From Jowan to the Warden, Wendy Surana

Dear Wendy,  
  
Again, thank you, thank you so much for writing to me all this time! I have no clue how your letters keep finding me out here in the wilds - Mighty Surana Magic, maybe? - but I am immensely happy they do. I will be having a bit of a change of address now, though. The moment I finish scribbling this, I will be packing up my modest little camp and leaving for the village of Haven. To join the Inquisition.  
  
It's a bit of a funny story, actually. Well, maybe not funny as in amusing, but I don't know... Curious? Bizarre? Fate never gets tired of tossing me around and landing me into sticky situations.  
  
I was minding my own business, discreetly helping farmers and lost apostates, as I do (and what with the demon invasion, the number of people meandering about in search of aid has grown so, so much; just like during the Blight). Then, all of a sudden, I noticed that the little caches I had been making for the mages hiding out in Witchwood (bedrolls and blankets and such) had begun get emptied out overnight. And not by the runaways either!  
  
Increasingly upset - and tired of trying to make a difference, only to fail, again and again - I went on a little stakeout. I plastered myself against the damp, cold, kind of slimy back wall of one of the caves where I'd placed the caches, and baited my breath, waiting for whoever was stealing the apostates' blankets. And just when I was ready to swear that a bunch of spiderlings had turned my legs into supports for a whole tiny city of cobweb roads and bridges, the thieves showed up. A group of soldiers in cuirasses branded with a flaming eye symbol. Which is, apparently, the sigil of the Inquisition.  
  
I followed them - as sneakily as I could, what with that cobweb city still glueing my legs together - and the moment they laid down their load to make camp, I snatched it back and barrel-rolled unto the bushes. More or less.  
  
This happened several times over, until I was caught red-handed. And pointed at with swords, like I have grown used to by now. And dragged, just as I was - a moving heap of blankets with shaking legs and stupid bug-eyed face sticking out - to face the Inquisition's leaders: a Templar-like woman who looked like she challenged demons to arm-wrestling matches, and a middle-aged mage who, with just one look, made me feel like I was failing that horrible, horrible arcane theory test.  
  
He did rather... mellow to me as we talked. Or so I like to hope. I explained that the blankets had been meant for mages in need (I didn't dare use the word 'apostate' because the lady was slowly frying me with her glare). And the arcane-tester (or, to name him properly, the Herald of Andraste) explained right back that the Inquisition's men had been taking those blankets to keep the refugees in their care from freezing to death. We ended with an unexpected truce of sorts, and the Herald suggested that we all work together. Which was... nice. I had expected they'd execute me or something.  
  
So yes, here I am! Levyn of Witchwood, proud agent of the Inquisition, soon to report in on his first day! I pray that I will not set Haven on fire.  
  
Your grateful friend,  
Jowan


	4. From Zevran to Varric

Master Tethras,  
  
You may remember me from our brief but ever so thrilling encounters in the Free Marches. I am writing to you because, out of all the fine men and women of your illustrious friend circle, you are by far the easiest to locate. Quite an extensive network of contacts you have; most commendable!  
  
I myself have also been doing some... networking of my own. Settling scores. Righting old wrongs. This, as you can imagine, has taken me far and wide across Thedas - which now brings us to the reason why you suddenly found yourself reading this missive (and there is, indeed, a rather urgent reason - not counting the fact that you are exquisitely handsome and deserve all the friendly... at times more than friendly... correspondence in the world).  
  
On one of my little expeditions, as I was pursuing a certain... former associate across the plains of Orlais, I have come across enormous, thrumming red crystals - of precisely the same nature as the weapon wielded by the unfortunate Commander Meredith, whom I had the pleasure of slaying together with you and the impeccably elegant Messere Hawke. Surely, you can imagine my astonishment and concern!  
  
I have thought on it at length - and decided that, when something as dangerous as this crystalline corruption is beginning to spread beyond a single city square, one cannot sit idly on one's hands. Especially when one has previous experience of stopping the spread of evil. This is no Blight from what I can tell, but the poisoning of the land and the incursions from beyond the Veil are no less dangerous, surely.  
  
I have been hearing most flattering things about this Inquisition you seem to have joined, Master Tethras. You are the ones attempting to push the corruption back, yes? If so, allow me to offer my services. Whom should I contact in order to be recruited?  
  
I look forward to fighting alongside you again.  
  
Warmest regards,  
Zevran Arainai


	5. From Felix to Maevaris

Dear Mae,  
  
I apologize for not writing sooner. We have been somewhat stuck in the middle of nowhere (which Dorian has been very vocal about). But you may be aware of that already; the Venatori attack on Haven was a disaster that has surely sent ripples across Thedas. Now we know just how ruthless they are, and how set on their ultimate goal, at the cost of countless innocent lives, which truly are about as valuable to them as ash in the wind.  
  
But it has not all been darkness and destruction. After weeks' worth of trekking through the mountains, the Inquisition has finally made it to a safe shelter - far more fortified than Haven, and with some impressive infrastructure, fit for a large military body in charge of fighting a powerful cult.  
  
And you would never guess who is at the head of this body! My father! Magister turned Herald of Andraste turned Inquisitor!  
  
How did that happen, you may ask. I shall be frank: the explanation is a bit painful for me to write. But you were quite invested in our impromptu rescue operation, and it does not feel right to keep you in the dark.  
  
Long story short... Dorian's fears about Father proved right, to a degree. The Venatori did recruit him. They offered to cure me - which, as he now suspects, was a lie - in exchange for Father using his and Dorian's experimental magic to 'remove' a certain young woman, Nadia Trevelyan, whom the cult saw as a threat because of her extraordinary ability to seal ruptures in the Fade. Instead of killing her, however, Father merely absorbed her powers; now he is the one who closes Rifts and thwarts the Venatori's plans.  
  
Nadia is convinced that he is doing a more professional job than she could have ever been capable of, and I myself am so very proud to see him flourish as a leader. But knowing that he, with his noble ideals, with his aspirations to make Tevinter better, at one point fell in with the people who, without exaggeration, embody every single reason why the rest of the world hates us - well, that wounded me and Dorian both. The journey to the Inquisition's new keep, Skyhold, was immeasurably taxing for all three of us, as we barely talked to each other after Father's admission to what he had done. And there was the matter of... of my illness, too, I suppose.  
  
But I am happy to say that it is all better now. We are all better. Father and Dorian are almost as close as they were back home, once - and I... I haven't felt more alive in many months. The Inquisition's Spymaster, as it turns out, has a friend who is researching a cure for the same disease - and in between her and Father, the quest that I once thought pointless is now seeing almost miraculous progress. I hope that they find what they are looking for - for the sake of everyone else in Thedas who is afflicted as I am. If Father succeeds, he will not just be saving me (I am of little importance). He will be saving the world - in more ways than he already is.  
  
Pardon me for the shaky writing her. I got a little overemotional. I just... I love Father so much, and I am elated to see hope in his eyes again, for the first time in so very long.  
  
Wishing you the very best,  
Felix


	6. From Merrill to Aveline

Dear Aveline!  
  
Are you doing quite all right? How is Donnic? And oh, have you heard from Fenris and Isabela? They are sailing together now, aren't they? Must be so, so tremendously exciting! But you must be too busy watching over Kirkwall to write to anyone, right? It was rude of me to forget that, I am so sorry - and good thing I am writing to you first!  
  
Ma vhenan and I have made it to Skyhold. This place is magnificent; so much space and air and green life thriving in the cracks among the stone slabs! A little bit like that dandelion patch in the corner of my old home in Darktown, but more lush, and...  
  
Oh, but I am getting carried away, aren't I? Sorry again! Must be something in the air. It just crackles with the magic of the People; I can feel it - makes my hair stand on end!   
  
Ahem. Varric is well, and sends his regards (he wanted to make sure Kirkwall has not fallen into the sea; it hasn't, has it?). He was a bit surprised to see us both, as he only got in touch with ma vhenan - but I told him that I would never have left Roy behind, no matter how hard he tried to keep me out of this. Ma vhenan is the light of my life, and I want to always be there to keep it from going out, ever!  
  
Oh, oh, and Bethany is here! She has joined the Inquisition together with her mentor - who is utterly gorgeous, but does not seem to like me very much, because of our different views on the Beyond. But she has been kind to Bethany, protecting and guiding her when ma vhenan could not be there by her side, and that is more than enough for me.  
  
And speaking of gorgeous - there is also a stunning warrior woman who is a big fan of yours! That is, of the character Varric based on you. I didn't mean it in a flirty way, no, no, no; I hope that Donnic does not get upset! Ma vhenan never gets upset when I gush over the beauty of the new friends we make; we actually gush together sometimes.  
  
Oh, what a big heap of nonsense that was! I should probably finish the letter here - is it all right if I finish here? I am also attaching a copy of Varric's latest Swords and Shields novel; could you please sign it 'To Cassandra' and send it back? It's part of a surprise the Inquisitor is planning, and I offered to help! Cassandra is the fan I just mentioned, and the Inquisitor is in love with her! Oh my, I probably should not have sent that. Sorry again! And goodbye! Write soon!  
  
Hugs,  
Merrill


End file.
